The River (Pilot) Review

The pilot of the River is the most successful pilot I have seen this 2011/2012 season. In my opinion, a successful pilot must introduce characters, set up avenues for potential drama between them, set up the tone of the show, and create a blue print for the rest of the series. A successful pilot must also avoid heavy handed expository dialogue, contrived cliques, excess of confusing plot twists, and unnecessary backstory/information. Pilots are insanely difficult to write, and it definitely shows. Several months back, I made a study of the pilots from a variety of shows (we’re talking shows like Buffy, Dollhouse, Supernatural, X-files, and Fringe). At the end of my little study, the most successful pilot I watched was X-files. Chris Carter did an amazing job setting up his show. The pilot was basically a microcosm for what we would be seeing every week and throughout the entire run of the show. There are very few writers who can create a decent opener for their show, and the River has joined the ranks of rare exceptions.

The basic plot of the River is this: Emmett Cole (a cross between Steve Irwin and Marty Stouffer) has disappeared in the Amazon, and his wife, son, and documentary crew set off in search of him. These unfortunate few are lead into the deep, dark heart of the Amazon river and it is there they find things that defy explanation. I know what you’re thinking. The story is vaguely reminiscent of Lost, but you shouldn’t waste too much time comparing these two shows. While J. J. Abrams’ train wreck was all about uncovering the truth of the Island, the River appears to be more about the journey to the Source and not so much what is found there. I do not expect to receive all the answers here like I did in Lost. We are dealing with magic and the supernatural in the River, and I expect terror and awe more than an understanding of the mysteries of the universe. We cannot expect these sojourners to find the truth, but we can expect to enjoy joining them on their journey into the darkness.

The pilot was so brilliant that I wanted to give the show a round of applause before the first five minutes were up. I was just blown away by the brilliant use of “backfootage.” The documentary style could have held the show back, but the clips shown from Emmett Cole’s documentaries make it possible for this show to have a depth that I hadn’t expected. And the show did have depth. We are not dealing only with endless scares and a fast moving plot. We have characters who hate each other, love each other, and have all sorts of complicated reasons for coming along on this journey. These individuals are not merely the writer’s pawns but are characters who move the story along with their own increasingly unique personalities. I look forward to getting to know each of them better and further understanding why they have come to this place.

The River is billed as a scary show, but its not hide-your-face-under-the-covers frightening. Basically, the show is scary without being nightmare inducing. The doll tree in Part Two was especially creepy, and I just loved waiting with bated breath for the doll’s head to turn or eyes to close. If you’re used to scarier stuff than, say, Supernatural, this will be pretty light weight for you. If, however, you easily jump out of your seat, you might find this show as terrifying as the writers seem to hope.

Finally, in case you watch the River and wonder why the cast looks so familiar, it is probably because they have all been in a lot of different shows over the years. You have Terri from 24, Whistler from Prison Break, Kirk’s captain from the new Star Trek, that dude from Across the Universe, Harry from Dresden Files, and that one guy from Doctor Who’s Season Two drilling episodes. Everyone on this show seemed decently cast (with the exception of Terri who seemed much too young to be her son’s mother), and I look forward to getting to know all of their characters better as the show moves along.

Overall, The River is not subtle or a work of art, but it is fun and I hope it continues to be successful as its pilot. I definitely recommend giving it a chance.

Warning: The documentary style can be disorienting but the truly shaky camera moments are few and far between.

Fall Television

So there's just two months until the Fall TV season starts up, and I'm telling you, I'm anxious for it to begin. Summer Television is less than enthralling when you don't have cable. I've been watching stuck watching the Bachelorette and reruns of Gossip Girl. Not exceptionally pleasant. At least, this fall promises to have some good shows going for it. There will be the return of my personal favorites: Supernatural and Vampire Diaries. Both shows ended with cliffhangers and I'm going to be very interested in what the next season brings for my favorite hunters and vampires.

I'm more excited, however, about the new shows turning up on all the channels. Last season had less than stellar new shows, so I'm still going into this season realistic and yet hopeful. For the fall, I'm most excited about Terra Nova - the show that has dinosaurs, time travel, and Steven Spielberg all rolled into one. Terra Nova could either be really, really great or really, really awful. The budget for the show is enormous, so the audience is going to have to be a pretty decent size to keep this show on the air. I have high hopes, but that's mainly just because I love anything with dinosaurs in it. Yes, this sadly includes Primeval.

Another show I'm interested in is the Ringer. I loved Buffy and am excited to see Sarah Michelle Gellar in a new show. Also, the show has Ioan Gruffudd. I've been a fan of that man since I first saw Horatio Hornblower when I was in high school. I hope his first foray into American TV turns out well for him. A bit of history, the show was passed over by CBS and then picked up by the CW for the Fall season. I'm still not sure how to take this. You see . . . I loath CBS. Their shows tend to be awful and overly dramatic. If the Ringer isn't like other CBS shows, this is good news to me. I'm hoping that CBS overlooked the show because it wasn't their style rather than because it wasn't that good. I look forward to having yet another awesome CW show to watch.

Finally, I'm intrigued by Person of Interest. This is a CBS show, but I'm going to try and watch with an open mind. Alright, the open mind thing is actually going to be really hard because the show is produced by J.J. Abrams. I used to love J.J., but now, I'm a bit disillusioned. I loved Super 8, but that hardly makes up for the awful ending of Lost or the badness of Fringe. I don't trust him when it comes to shows. There are two reasons, however, that make me willing to overlook all of this. The first is Michael Emerson. Ben from Lost is one of my favorite characters ever. I think Michael Emerson was brilliant in that role, and I can't wait to see what he chooses to do next. The second reason is that Jonathan Nolan is one of the producers. Jonathan Nolan is the little brother of Christopher and the writer of the Dark Knight and Prestige. I love the Nolan brothers and want to see what he's up to with this show. I trust him about as much as I distrust J.J. Oh yeah, and I forgot to say what this show is about. Imdb.com describes the show as centering on an ex-CIA hitman and a scientist who team up to prevent crimes before they happen. Could be interesting. Could be lame. We'll just have to wait and see.

All I say say is this: Fall 2011 is going to make for some interesting television watching.